Quotes from the article:
Youtube
“The two platforms that had the biggest impact on the shooter’s mindset: YouTube and Facebook.
Following the attack that left 51 people dead at two Christchurch mosques in March of last year, the New Zealand government launched an independent inquiry into the spree killing. The results of that report paint a picture of how the shooter, white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, came to commit such a heinous act.
The report specifically found that YouTube played a major role in radicalizing the man.
“What particularly stood out was the statement that the terrorist made that he was ‘not a frequent commentator on extreme right-wing sites and YouTube was a significant source of information and inspiration’,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern while discussing the report. “This is a point I plan to make directly to the leadership of YouTube.”
Tarrant was a fan of the once-prominent far-right YouTuber Stefan Molyneux, as well as other figures on the right such as white nationalists Richard Spencer and Lauren Southern. According to the report, Tarrant even donated money to right-wing organizations and Freedomain Radio, which was created by Molyneux. YouTube banned both Molyneux and Spencer from the platform this past summer.”
Facebook
“Facebook also played a role in the radicalization of the Christchurch shooter, according to the report.
Tarrant frequently posted Islamophobic rhetoric in far-right Facebook Groups such as The Lads Society Season Two, United Patriots Front, and True Blue Crew. He also spoke about inspiration he pulled from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf on the social network.
In one particularly interesting exchange, pointed out by Vice, Tarrant’s mother calls him a “neo-Nazi” in a Facebook message. Tarrant was bothered by this because he worried Facebook’s moderation systems would detect the word and take action against his account.
Mashable reached out to Facebook for comment and will update this piece when we hear back.”
